In the span of the past year or so, the Masland Library has upgraded the study areas in the building in order to provide the students of Cairn University with greater comfort for the long hours of reading, a quieter atmosphere for quality study sessions, and even more advanced technology options for those of us who forget our laptops, phone chargers, or earphones all the way down in Heritage Hall. Some of these additions are obvious and exciting – others are subtle, yet essential to the academic success and the mental sanity of the students of the university. The exciting additions are as follows:

BRAND NEW headphones, ones that fit most head sizes. These headphones are classy, comfortable and sound-cancelling (for the most part). Not only will you experience quality sound, but you also get a quality look as you jam out to your tunes. No more of those clunky, old, space antennas that we used to offer. (Unless you really liked the space antennas. We still have those.)

The downstairs computer lab has been magically transformed into a quiet study space for those of you that don’t want to be affected by the not-so-whispered conversations and the sound of books dropping in the main part of the library. Use this space for individual study – NOT for group study. (We have private study rooms available for groups to have space to discuss and work together. Check out keys for the study rooms at the front desk!*) Specialities of the quiet study space involve super big and comfy chairs, large work areas (a few of which resemble dining room tables), and inspirational pieces of art to stimulate your brain.

We now have CHROMEBOOKS available for check-out! These sleek little pieces of technology are a great tool for those days when you spill your coffee all over your MacBook, when you forgot your power cord in your dorm room, or when you just want to try out some new technology. The Chromebooks can be checked out for 2 hours at a time, but they have to stay in the library. Make sure you treat them as if they were your own, because if you don’t.. Well.. it might cost you something**.

Finally, the most exciting addition of all. The Masland Library has FINALLY – after years of tears, petitions, pleas, suggestion cards, threats, and stiff backs – added BEANBAGS to your library experience. These beanbags serve many purposes, of few of which I will name.

WHAT BEANBAGS ARE FOR

Sitting on

Taking that inevitable study break nap

Hanging out with your friends in comfort (quietly, of course***)

Writing papers and doing research while feeling like you’re enveloped in a cloud

Generally enjoying because they are soft and fluffy and big and lovely and infinitely better than the chairs

WHAT BEANBAGS NOT FOR

Throwing over the second floor balcony. Seriously. No. That’s how people die.

Canoodling. Shenanigans. You know what I mean. All those Cairn couples out there.. One person per beanbag, please. PDA to the minimum, please. For everyone else’s sake, please.. Leave room for Jesus.

Eating food. These beanbags are in pristine (kind of) condition and deserve to be treated with respect to keep them as beautiful and comfortable as they are now. Also, you’re not allowed to be eating food in the library anyways****, so.. Keep that in mind as you enjoy the fluff.

Building forts. Those suckers are pretty hefty, so keep them on the floor, okay*****? It’s better for everyone that way.

Take advantage of all of these upgrades******! They are here to make your life easier, happier, and less stressful. Happy Thursday!

* Seriously. We will ask you to relocate to a noise-friendly area of the library.

** Cost you something like the price of a Chromebook. Or your technology-using privileges.

*** Seriously. We will call security to escort you from the premises in handcuffs if you can’t keep your voices down. Well.. maybe not in handcuffs, but.. Be respectful, okay?

**** Nobody likes ants and rodents hanging out by the beanbags, right? Right. Keep the crumbs in the library. Seriously.

***** Seriously. Do your back and your tired limbs a favor and leave them on the floor.

****** Seriously!! We want you to be here and we have these resources for your enjoyment and convenience.

Coffee is a great thing. It is also a powerful thing. So, to best use the marvelous gift that God has given us, let’s learn about when coffee is the most effective.

So, not to get too scientific, but your body produces this thing called cortisol. It is a stress hormone and is associated with your alertness levels. So, at the times that your cortisol levels are high, drinking coffee will have no added effect, because your alertness levels are at their peak. However, when your cortisol levels fall, coffee can serve as a much needed reinforcement.

Here are the times where the body’s cortisol levels are at their peak (meaning coffee will have no added effect):

Between 8-9 AM

Noon – 1PM

5:30 – 6:30 PM

There is also a time where coffee serves as the most effective and that is from 9:30 – 11:30AM.

Now, the Library will have coffee during finals week, and it will be when your cortisol levels are low, so be sure to come on out and enjoy the free coffee to help you find that motivation to finish the semester!

As October looms on the horizon, the whispers and rumors of Homecoming start flying through the campus. Days of Homecomings past are remembered fondly for most, perhaps not so fondly for some, but all with a recollection of the excitement and energy that whizzes through the college. For some of us, this will be one more Homecoming to add to the several that we’ve already been to. Some might think, ‘why bother going? Been there, done that!’. But I’m here to give you seven awesome reasons as to why you should gear up and attend Homecoming 2014 with gusto!

1. The Tenth Avenue North concert.

Tenth Avenue North is a totally awesome band, and anyone that’s into Christian music will most likely agree with that statement. My personal favorite is ‘Hold My Heart’, and I’ve got a ticket purchased and fingers crossed that they will play the song at the concert! Tickets are only ten dollars for students, an incredible discount! Student Life has all the steps you need to get a ticket of your own, as well as one for any family or friends that you would love to jam out to!

2. Athletics.

For sports fans all through campus, there’s plenty of opportunity to go out and support our fellow Highlanders all throughout the day! From soccer, to volleyball, to baseball and more, Cairn has athletic games happening all throughout the day! Grab a buddy, bring a soda and go cheer on your fellow classmates!

3. The Walkway Fair.

In my opinion, this is one of the biggest events of Homecoming. The giant and awesome fair that happens on and around the walkway goes from 11am to 4pm, and has everything from a giant ferris wheel to a rock wall and more! Delicious goodies and fun games abound throughout the fair, and it’s the best chance to grab your group of friends and wander around, having a blast and creating memories that will last a lifetime!

4. Discussion Panels.

For those of you who have an intense desire for learning and really want some enduring questions to struggle with, these discussion panels are for you. For the first panel, Dr. Jonathan Master will be interviewing three of our very own professors, Dr. Marti MacCullough, Dr. John Master, and Dr. Bob Wenger! They’ll be questioned about their experiences with Cairn, their faith, and more! You can even submit your own interview questions by followingthis link!

The second discussion panel focuses on Cairn’s outreach to urban areas and cities. Especially if you’re in a relevant major, this will be a panel you will want to be at. Cairn alumni are already out and about making a difference in the urban world, and this is your chance to see how! By following the above link, you can submit questions for this interview as well!

5. Build-A-Boat.

Build-A-Boat is a fantastically fun event to attend, especially if you don’t want to suffer the wet fate of the riders yourself. All the laughter, all the fun, and none of the mess! Get together with friends at the pond to watch as racers try to paddle their home-made boats across the pond to get the golden oar! We’ve had boats made from plastic play house doors, plastic tubes, wood planks, and more! You will laugh, grin and cheer as the racers paddle and flounder in their quest for the golden oar!

6. Historical Tours of Cairn.

For alumni and current students alike, the multiple tours and historic memorabilia that are on display are really intriguing and exciting to see. Especially as we start fresh, having just passed the blessing of our centennial year, it is amazing to see all that has passed in one hundred years and gaze at all the work that God has done in our very own college. For me, I always enjoy seeing were we have come from, and look forward to where we are heading next.

7. Arts@cairn.

As one of the final events in the evening, this is a great opportunity to cool down and relax after such a busy and exciting day. Pre-registration is necessary for the event, but it’s easy, online and free! People will gather in the lower BLC to have an artist reception with Victor Atkins. It’s a wonderful chance to get to meet with the artist, admire his works and delve into the mind of the one that created such beautiful art. It’s an exciting chance to get to know the ‘how and why’ of his creations. There is always a meaning and intention behind a piece of art, and this is your chance to learn directly from the artist what his intentions were!

As you can see, Homecoming 2014 is going to be a blast. It’s a wonderful time to enjoy family and friends, and it’s the chance to really rejoice with the community that God has provided us with. I wouldn’t miss this for the world! I know I’ll be going, and I hope you will be too!

For a full time schedule and preregistration forms, check out this link! There’s so much more that I didn’t list, so take a look and start making your own list of what you want to see and do! Hope to see you on October 4th!

The library is a place for some serious studying, which occasionally produces the heavy desire to munch and crunch. There is a sign that remind folks not to go up or down the stairs with the intentions to eat food. The library is a great place to practice integrity, so please do not ignore the sign and feed the gobble monster in your tummy that likes to scratch at your insides. If you feel as though you cannot resist, walk quickly to the lobby near the front desk and munch there for some time. Why do we ask for such a difficult request? The library has many lovely books that help many people. Some books are older than most students, if not all. We try our best to keep these books clean and stainless, so the farther they are from food the better.

The sensational smells that enter the library with patrons are not only a dead giveaway of your belongings, but they also serve as distractions to other focused students. Aromas provide different therapies for people, and the aroma of food is like a lovely poison, stimulating the brain to think the body needs food, and thus other people might feel the sudden urge to eat as well, and they lose that God given grace to focus. Please think of others and the beautiful essence of the library.

Hello, college students! We all have those cravings as the semester gets farther on. The more projects we have, the later we stay up, and the hungrier we get! The commuter (or student) lounge is a great spot to get some snacks with the convenience of the vending machines. Even the new ‘keurig-esque’ coffee maker has ‘pods’ available in the vending machine for a quick blast of caffeine! With all the studying that goes on, munchies are a constant companion to homework, along with music and Facebook. However, when you get the urge to bring some snacks with you to your next big study session in the library (because let’s face it, you can’t discipline yourself well enough in the dorm lounge to get work done), I urge you to please hold back!

Our library is an awesome place with tons of books and resources that will save your life when all those research papers and projects come up. And that is why we have a ‘No food‘ rule in place. You are free to eat in the back stairwell or the front lobby, but not out in the actual library where the bookshelves are. If you can resist bringing in your latest meal from Wawa, or that bag of pretzels that always gets you through a bind, you will be keeping bugs and other yucky insects from coming in and spoiling the peaceful, quiet study environment that is the library! Drinks are always welcome, as long as you have a lid, so we don’t spill on our nice carpet. But please, if you get the craving for some munchies, leave the library to eat your latest snack. That way you don’t distract the others around you with yummy food, and you won’t bring in bugs! Yay!